Tag Archive | transparency

Ease of living is the top of the mind reminiscence about a jurisdiction where one would have spent some time. It is the holistic impression one carries about a place, drawn from diverse longitudinal isolated experiences. These impressions are an amalgam of facts and perceptions; considered subjective, not measurable on a conventional scale; lacking a theoretical base and logical reasoning and non-replicable; everything that makes it not scientific from a researchers’ perspective.

Despite shortcomings of being seen as unscientific, perceptions drive individual actions and influence others’ decisions. It is akin to a brand image, which is simply what is carried in the mind of the consumer that can influence his/her buying decision; about anything that has a distinct character; though failing the test of scientific inquiry and visible logic. It is an intangible to be perceived and shared; less about numbers, exhibits and visuals.

Perceptions; though not amenable to be reduced to a logical formula for ease of transmission, prediction and replication; are powerful in shaping ones’ thinking and action. Perceptions cannot be ignored in our endeavour to enhance our sphere of influence, market, acceptability, value, image and reputation.

Ease of Living is not a fashionable, nice to have luxury or accolade but a need to have necessity in today’s connected and competitive world.
Ease of Living is a product of multiple elements: the hard physical and technology infrastructure; the soft institutional and social infrastructure, and social context.

By infrastructure what is meant is not their mere existence, but their adequacy, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, quality, maintenance, access and availability on demand.

Concepts like Smart Cities largely address the setting up of the physical and the associated technology infrastructure, but tend to be less sensitive to the institutional and social aspects which in conjunction with the former, alone will help deliver the expected citizen experience, in terms of the Quality of Life that also drives Ease of Living.

In our treatise on Ease of Living, the focus is on the institutions that are meant to deliver citizen services, legal systems that govern citizen expectations and conduct embedded in the institutional set up, the social infrastructure that encompasses the social services such as education, healthcare, safety and security et al as well as the human behavioural element that plays a major role in one’s perception on the desirability of a jurisdiction as a destination one would look forward to live.

In a shrinking, connected and open world, it is not unusual for enterprising and resourceful citizens to shop for locations considered inviting, to live. Inviting locations are jurisdictions considered favourable to realise stated and implied expectations of a hassle free, easy, safe and rewarding living experience. A more operational term for inviting locations would be locations with favourable Ease of Living rating.

Improved Ease of Living help attract immigrants of the desired kind, cross border businesses, capital, labour and other drivers of economic activity, as well as retain valuable home grown talent, resources, citizens and businesses.

It is simply to meet the human urge for a holistic rewarding life experience and rewards for efforts put in.

While integrity is the most powerful trait to win over, corruption is the most potent weapon to conquer.

Corruption is more powerful than any weapon invented ever to destroy your enemy. Corruption is a slow poison that kills a community, using its own people and resources with minimum bloodshed and cost. Corruption is a creeping guerrilla warfare damaging the target slowly, steadily and unobtrusively. Corruption is an invisible weapon; once triggered it goes into auto pilot with no fuel to keep it running. It generates its own fuel and spreads wherever it can reach unobtrusively. Our enemies use ‘corruption’ effectively to slowly destroy our unity. ‘Corruption’ is used surreptitiously as a powerful bait on the lower rungs of security establishment. Corruption is used to gain information, access, plant destructive devices and walk away with no foot prints left, making it difficult to trace the origin, to be used as an evidence.

Corruption, if used ingeniously and patiently enables even a Lilliput to conquer an Oliver. Such is the power of destruction of this unobtrusive weapon. ‘Corruption’ is part of a larger design of intrigue, where the fence eats the crop. Corruption has been used in ancient times (Puranas) to corrupt the mind of enemy’s men to make them wage war (non-cooperation) against their own master and in turn achieving the objective. The same weapon is now destroying our society though without an identifiable hand behind it. Should we allow this self- destruction to work towards our own end?